Page 37 of Holly, Jolly, and Oh So Naughty

“We did it!” she declares, brandishing her spoon. “Now we eat?”

“Oh, God,” I groan. “Dinner. I have no idea what?—”

“Leave it to me,” James says quickly. Before I can reply, he vanishes, and I hear the door creak open and closed.

“I like your new friend, Mommy,” Emma says, sitting fully in my lap. “He’s funny like Grandpa.”

My heart squeezes and the next few beats feel oddly close to my throat. “You like him?”

“Mmhmm!” She beams at me. “I like that he makes you smile.”

“You make me smile,” I say, tapping her nose.

“That’s ‘cause I’m the best!” She throws her hands upward, then settles against my chest and falls silent.

He does make me smile. He makes Emma smile. It’s a glimpse into what could have been if he had just returned my calls. WhenI first ran into him, I was so sure that keeping Emma’s parentage a secret was the right thing to do, but now I’m not so sure. We’re suddenly involved and friendly. And Emma likes him.

How do I navigate this? I make a mental note to call Amelia for help and then close my eyes.

Embracing James might be the way to go, at least for now. The last thing I need is to sour whatever this is and have the whole town on my ass for accidentally upsetting the fancy new doctor.

As I mull things over, the mouthwatering scent of pizza fills the air and James returns with a gigantic pizza box and bottle of pop.

“Yay!” Emma cheers, elbowing my gut as she scrambles up. “Pizza!”

“Ow,” I groan. “Pizza.”

“Pizza.” James grins and settles on the floor next to me. “Fast. Easy. After today, I think you need it.”

We lock eyes and I smile as genuinely as I can. “Thank you, James. You’ve no idea what this means.”

“It’s just pizza, Mom,” Emma sighs, and we all burst out laughing.

“Yes, Emma. It’s just pizza.”

“You didn’t touch any more itching powder, did you?” Emma asks, staring up at James as he hands her a slice.

“I promise I’m clean.”

It’s good enough for her and she snatches the slice, devouring it immediately. I follow suit with a low groan as I realize this is the first thing I’ve eaten all day.

Maybe it’s the pizza, or Emma’s laughter or my exhaustion, I can’t be sure, but the next thing out of my mouth sounds like the best idea I’ve ever had.

“James, do you want to come ice skating with us this weekend?”

“Oh, please do!” Emma cheers. “It’s so fun!”

“Are you sure?” James asks, his brow knitting together briefly.

“Yes.” I nod quickly. “Come with us.”

“Okay.” James beams at me. “Sure!”

14

JAMES

Ihaven’t ice skated since I was a child, but after Lily’s invitation, I spent the rest of the night scrolling online for a pair of skates. She told me there were skates to rent at the rink, but I want to impress her.

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